No Longer Free!
by SecretWritings
Summary: Haruka a young mermaid went against what he was taught and gets himself into trouble. Will a boy his age named Makoto be able to save him and help him once more be able to swim free? warning against language and violence and slight shipping. Don't like don't read.
1. No longer free!

**Haruka Nanase is a mermaid who at a young age did something he knew he shouldn't have and got himself into trouble. When he meets a boy his age named Makoto will he once again be able to swim free?**

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The waves gently rocked his body back and forth, his hair swaying in front of his eyes. He watched as the water made his hair dance as fish swam around him. A group of mackerel swam past where he lay. Lifting his hand up from where it was playing in the sand drawing lazy patterns he reached towards the fish. They continued to swim in the path they were taking except for a single one. It swam over and ran its back under his hand. The scales a familiar feeling to him. The mackerel swam away as fast as it had come.

Blue eyes followed it as it swam as fast as it could to catch up to the others. Once again alone Haruka lowered his hand to where it was in the sand earlier. It was a peaceful day. No ships had passed overhead to disturb the currents and there was no storm for miles. The sea was the most peaceful it has been in a while. Rolling over on the rock he was laying on Haruka enjoyed the sun rays shinning through the surface layer of the water. Usually he wouldn't be able to get so close to the surface but since there were no ships nearby he thought he'd take the opportunity. He knew that it was dangerous and that on such a good day there was a high possibility of someone swimming by but there was no other place in the entire ocean that he could see as many fish as he did there.

His eyes followed them as they swam in every direction. To him there was no better way for passing the time. His body was so relaxed that he didn't realize when he fell asleep.

He awoke to a dark shadow looming over him. Assuming it was a whale or some other large sea creature he rolled over tried to fall back asleep. It was then he remembered that no large sea creature could get as close to the shore as he was. Sitting upright his eyes darted to the surface where he could see a shipping vessel slowly moving across and blocking out the sun. All the fish quickly swam past his head in the same direction that the ship was going in. That could only mean one thing. As quickly as he could Haruka darted off the rock he was sleeping on and swam as fast as he could. His tail swishing back and forth as the water, as if knowing his distress, parted and allowed his body to slip through it.

Feeling curiosity get the better of him he looked back over his shoulder as he continued to swim. Just like he thought he would he could see a large net coming up from behind him. All the fish that were swimming so peacefully earlier were in as much a hurry as he was to get away. Looking back forward Haruka realized that if he were to continue to swim the way he was he would swim himself onto shore. With one last glance behind him Haruka turned his body and darted to the side. He didn't get far until he realized that he couldn't head that way. The net was on a curve and was heading straight towards him. Turning once more to the other side he tried to swim away again only to see that on that side to the net was closing in. There was no escape, the net was surrounding him on all sides. The fish trapped with him also knew their fate. They were surrounded and being pushed together as the net closed in. The fish stuck in there with him were all pushed so close together that he couldn't move his tail or arms. He craned his neck and spine trying to break free but to no avail.

All of a sudden there was a lurch upward. The net started to move upward bringing the fish and him all up and above surface. He could feel as they broke the surface of the water. The sun shone through the fish and touched his skin directly. It was warm and he would have enjoyed it more if not for the circumstances. The net came to a halt in the air and then lurched to the side. The next time it stopped he and the fish fell from the sky and smashed against a hard wood surface. He hit his head pretty hard but he had no time to worry about it. Pushing himself up Haruka gazed around him. All around him fish flopped around as they tried to escape back to the sea only to be stopped by the walls of the pit they were dropped in. Looking up he stared back into the eyes of the seven fishermen on board the ship.

They stared back at him in shock. Some unable to take their eyes away from his, others eyes were glued to his tail as it swished back and forth across the deck. Slowly he pushed himself back and away from the eyes of the fishermen until his back hit against the largest side of the pit. His arms wrapping around himself in a weak attempt to shield himself from their prying eyes.

"Lock up the pit!" Yelled one of the fishermen with a strange hat that none others wore. All of a sudden all of the fishermen broke out in a rush and were moving and yelling all over the deck. A large tarp was being drawn over him and once more blocking out the sun. In a panic Haruka tried to follow the light but slipping over the other fish he fell and was forced to watch as the sun disappeared. He sat there alone in the dark. Forced to listen as the fish around him struggle to breathe as they slowly died.

He couldn't see his fingers in front of his own face and had no clue where the ship was going to bring him or what would happen when they got there. His only hope was that they would get there soon. He could last above water until his tail dried. After that he would meet the same fate as the rest of the fish around him. Then again that might be a better end then one of the many situations he was told about would happen to him if he was ever caught. All he could hope for was that one day he would once again be able to swim freely in the ocean though there wasn't high hope in him.

He could still hear the crew rushing about on the deck. There words were muffled but their excited yelling could only mean one thing. Their catch was good and he was part of it. He would catch words every now again like money, research and display. None of them sat well with him. The ride seemed to have gone on forever but he knew that they were close to shore so it couldn't have been more then ten minutes. When the ship stopped he could hear more voices and footsteps. The tarp was removed from the pit and the sun was once again visible. It burned his skin and he tried to bloke his eyes with his arm.

A rope was tossed down and wrapped around the arm that was held up. It scraped at his arm fins and yanked his arm away from his side. Another rope followed and wrapped around his other arm. Together they yanked him forward and he was thrown on his face amongst the fish. Shouts to be careful were heard before more ropes were thrown down along with a few people who jumped in. The slowly walked towards him holding onto the ends of the rope that were thrown in earlier. He thrashed and tried to pull away as they got closer and closer. They were hushing at him and telling him he was going to be okay and that he should stop thrashing but the closer they got the bigger the struggle he put on.

They jumped at him and while half of the men held him down the other half wrapped the ropes around his waist and tail. One man even shoved a piece of cloth in his mouth to keep him from biting his tongue. Once he was all tied up the men were pulled from the pit and together they all pulled him up and out. Holding him down once more they wrapped the ropes around him until he couldn't move. Then together they lifted him up and carried him over and off the side of the boat. His eyes darted frantically around him as he tried to figure out where he was.

There was no sign of other human life forms besides a large black vehicle with two men dressed all in black standing next to it. Once they saw the fisherman hauling him off the ship they walked over and stopped in front of them. One man held a large black suitcase and extended it towards the fisherman with the strange hat. He walked towards the two men and opened the suitcase. Smiling he nodded and took the suitcase after closing it up. The two men then proceeded towards him and the other fishermen who still held him captive.

"He's pretty strong, it took our whole crew to hold him down are you sure just the two of you can hold him?" Asked one of the fishermen.

"We've handled larger things then this thing we'll be fine." One of the men answered as he grabbed Haruka's fin. The other one took him under the arms and together they carried him into the back of their van. They were right. Both of them carried him easily even with all of his struggling. The back of the van doors swung open and he was pushed inside. Inside sat a woman with long blonde hair and glasses. She too wore a black suit and smiled at him as the other two men tied his arms to two hooks that were welted to the inside of the vehicle. His tail was then locked down to the floor. Once he was all locked down the two men closed the trunk doors and climbed into the front of the van and started to drive.

The woman smiled gently at him as she spoke. "You must be wondering what is going on and why this is happening to you." Haruka just continued to stare at her. His eyes narrowed as she continued to speak. "No need to glare we won't hurt you. Ah but then again you may just need water." As she said this she drew a spray bottle from her purse. Haruka eyed it suspiciously as the lady brought it down to his fin and sprayed him with it. The water was a great relief to his almost dried up gills and he relaxed at it against his will.

The lady smiled at this and continued. "As I was saying we aren't going to hurt you. It's very rare for us to be able to catch a mermaid. Even rarer for one to be as healthy and young as you. We will just be taking you to a tank in the city where we will take care of you and study you without using drugs or knifes. Sounds like a good deal right?" Haruka continued to glare at her and to show his disapproval yanked at his confinements.

The lady sighed at his behavior. "Well it's no use to disagree since we will continue to do as we please either way." With that the lady sprayed him once more and sat back in silence. Her creepy, gentle smile still present on her face. He had no clue how long the ride lasted but every now and again the lady would spray him with the water bottle to keep him hydrated. He felt drained from all that has happened but even more so he felt that it wasn't safe to pass out. For the entirety of the ride he forced himself to stay awake. His eyes never straying away from the lady who smiled the entire way up.

When the van finally came to a halt the spray bottle was half empty. The Vehicle doors were pulled open and the two men stood in front of him once more this time accompanied by one more as big as the other two. They allowed the lady to walk out and then grabbed at him so that they could undo the bodings tying him to the van. They lifted him up and then followed the lady into a large building. Inside there was a long hall with numerous doors. Each one labeled with something. They carried him down the hall and he read the labels. Shark tank, Whale tank, fish tank, Penguin tank, dolphin tank, octopus tank and more. They finally came to a stop at the furthest door.

The lady took out a large key chains with numerous keys, once she found the one she was looking for she unlocked the door and they entered. It lead to a descending staircase that seemed to go down a long way. After walking for a few minutes they came upon another door. The lady once more produced her set of keys and unlocked that door. It opened to a large room that had a large pool filled with water and sea plants. The pool had a shallow end for things to perch on and for those not in the pool to interact with whatever is in it without getting soaked past their feet. Around the pool were white tiles with a staircase near the door that led to a walk way over looking the pool.

The men dropped him on the ground and two held him down while the last one untied him. Once the ropes were gone they none too gently threw him in. Once in he was able to yank the fabric out of his mouth he spat it out and swam deep into the pool. He peered out from behind one of the large plants and glared at the four strangers.

"Oh don't worry sweetie, we're not going to hurt you. You'll grow to love this place." The lady smiled as she crouched down to get closer to the water. "We'll send someone down to check on you daily and feed you. I hope to get along in the future." With that said she stood up and left the room wit her goons following her.

Haruka swam to the shore and pulled himself up onto the tiled floor. Using all the strength he could he dragged his body to the door that he was brought in through. Reaching up he grabbed at the handle and pulled. The door was locked from the outside and refused to budge. Sad he pulled himself across the floor again and into the pool. Swimming down into it's depths he searched every corner of the pool for a vent or something he could swim through. There were no vents large enough for him to get through though. There was however one large gated door that rested at the bottom of the furthest wall from the door. He yanked at the bars and rammed his body against it. Anything to get it to budge. It was not his first let down today.

Giving up Haruka swam towards a slab of rock that rested in the middle of the pool and curled up on it. It looked like the rock he had laid on earlier that day but there was no sun streaming down through the water, no fish swimming by occasionally swimming up to him to say hello, and no freedom. He refused to cry though. Instead he just curled further into himself and struggled to get some sleep.

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 **I hope you all enjoyed the story, this is the first part of it and i'm not sure when i'll be able to update it again but i know i will get around to it. The next part will be in Makoto's pov**


	2. Aquarium

The walls of the gate stood high so that no one could easily climb it and enter. Many people were lined up at the front entrance all trying to enter as fast as they could so that they could get out of the sun bearing down on them and into the park where they knew all the rides and animals were waiting for their entertainment. One of the world's largest water parks too waited inside to cool everyone off.

He has gone to this place with his family many times and it never got old. The feel of watching all the large sea creature to tricks or just simply swimming around their tanks. Sometimes coming up to the edge where he stands to say hello or turn on its side and wave at him. Nothing was better then the time he had the opportunity to go down and pet one of the orcas. It is this very feeling that brought him here today. He was given an once in the lifetime opportunity to be able to work with the same sea creatures that inspired his childhood.

Taking a deep breath he stepped towards the employees' only entrance and knocked. A security guard answered the door and stared down at him. The man wore a heavy black suit even in the scorching heat yet there wasn't even a single drop of sweat on his brow. His eyes covered by a pair of dark sunglasses that stopped him from seeing the mans eyes.

"And who are you?" The man asked in a deep voice, clearly not pleased that he was at the door.

"Uh, my name is Makoto Tachibana. I'm here about my job interview at three." Makoto answered.

The man turned his head to look at the clock on the wall which read one O'clock pm. Turning back to Makoto he replied. "You're rather early."

"Ah yeah, the traffic was faster then I thought it was going to be but hey, rather early then late." He chuckled nervously.

The man just continued to glare down at him before stepping to the side to allow Makoto to step out of the heat and into the building. The room wasn't very large. It had a desk on the left wall and a couch facing a tv monitor on the other wall next to a mini fridge. The man then closed the door and walked over to a desk. He opened the top most left drawer and started to root through it. Trying to see what the man was doing Makoto stood up on his toes to see over the mans shoulder. Finally after about a minute or so the man pulled up and closed the drawer. Turning back to Makoto he held out his hand to him. In it hung a pass to the park on a lanyard.

Makoto stretched out his hand and cautiously took it from the man. Lifting it up he hung it around his neck. The man nodded and went to the door on the opposite wall. Pulling it open he gestured for Makoto to walk out and into the park. "The main office is in the show area. Be there on time."

"Thank you sir." Makoto said as he stepped once more outside into the heat. The man closed the door with little more force then necessary and Makoto jumped. Taking a breath he turned to look at the grounds of the park that he knew so well. He was in the opening area of the park where a large pristine white fountain of two dolphins stood spraying water out of their blow holes into a pond below. In between the two Dolphins was an orca. It faced the crowd but turned towards the pond as if diving into it. People walked in and families stood in front of it as another tourist that they stopped earlier would take their picture. There were also couples and young children throwing coins in making wishes.

Makoto smiled as it brought back memories from his own childhood. His parents would give them each a nickel for them to throw in and make a wish at the end of the day when they were about to head home. His wish was always the same. To be able to come back to the park again. If all went well with his interview then he'd be able to go to the park and interact with all the animals five times a week.

People continued to pile into the park and feeling it a bit crowded he decided to venture into the park to make the time go by faster. First stop, none other then the aquarium. It was about a five minute walk from the entrance. The first thing there is a bridge that goes over a moat that surrounds a glass building. The moat is deep with a glass bottom so that those inside the aquarium are able to look up to see the sting rays and small sharks. He stopped in the middle of the bridge and looked down into the water. A shark swam up and jumped out of the water nearby and as it sunk back into the water the splash it created got him a bit on the leg.

Laughing Makoto backed away from the rail of the bridge and continued into the building. At the entrance was a staircase with wheel chair access on the side. Walking down it he headed into the main hallway where the walls went from the view of the above ground moat to the below ground moat where large fish could be viewed at leisure well being given the feeling that you yourself are too under the water. Makoto continued to walk and view the fish. The types of his slowly got bigger and bigger as they came upon the large mammal viewing area.

There was a large wall separating the tank on the inside so that the large creatures wouldn't see each other and fight. First up were sharks. They swam close to the tanks but wouldn't get close enough to touch it. One swam up to the tank and swam next to Makoto as he walked by. Smiling he waved at the shark right before it had to turn and swim away before swimming into the wall. Next up was one of Makoto's favorites the killer whale.

The majestic creature could be seen jumping out of the surface of the water then diving down into the deepest depths. It twirled in the water before going up once more and floating on its back most likely so that it could wave at the crowd above. He had to stop to stare at it for a while. The whale was as lively as ever. It's been there ever since he was a child. He'd always try to get one of the first rows so that he'd be able to get splashed whenever the whale did dives. Just as he thought this the whale jumped out of the water before coming down with a splash. Smiling he walked to the next tank. After the whale tanks was the exotic fish tank, penguin tank, dolphin tank, and then he octopus tank. With that he was nearing the end of the aquarium. There was just one tank left though no one had access to see it. The wall was covered to stop the tourists from seeing what was inside and it was blocked for as long as he could remember.

It was said that the tanks was closed since it broke and they couldn't afford to fix it so they decided to instead close it down five years ago. He wasn't sure that was true though considering the park was extremely well known and they upgrade it with more rides and attractions every year. Checking his watch he realized that he had half an hour until his interview. Picking up his pace he began a slow jog out of the aquarium. He was almost a the exit stairwell when he heard a noise. It was different then the usual mummer of the crowd. The sound was similar to that of a dolphin yet too deep to be one. Taking a few steps back Makoto listened to see if he could catch the sound again.

He could hear the yells of excitement from the children and the fuss from the parents as they reminded their children again and again to not get too close to the tank. He could also hear a few of the couples as they flirted and giggled. He didn't hear that sounds again though so chalking it up to his imagination trying to freak him out he decided to just hurry and get to his interview.

Once out of the aquarium he had to shield his eyes from the sun. It was no better then it was earlier. Still shielding his eyes he ran in the direction he knew the main office stood. It was a big building hard to miss. The outside was painted to look like water with many different sea creatures painted on it by children. It was a campaign the park put on long ago to help raise money to help clean up an oil spill that happened over seas. For a five dollars a kid would be granted a slot of wall to paint how they wished. Even Makoto had his own little area when he was very young. Since he didn't have any art skill though his drawing of a mermaid resembled closely to that of a piece of seaweed. He painted it right next to the professionally painted one.

Walking into the building he entered the waiting room. Couches lined the walls and there were two bathrooms the opposite side of each other. On the far end wall was a hall way which he assumed led to the offices. There was a receptionist who sat in the middle of the room. She was a middle aged lady who sat popping her gum as she clacked away at her computer with long nails. Awkwardly Makoto walked up and stood in front of her. She didn't acknowledge him and continued to clack away.

"Um excuse me miss?" Makoto spoke up tentatively.

The lady looked up at him from behind her pointed glasses and snapped a bubble at him. "Can I help you?" She said in a sassy tone.

"Well, I'm Makoto Tachibana and I have an interview at three with Misses. Salvana." Makoto replied.

The receptionist rolled her eyes at him before picking up a phone and dialing a number. After a moments pause she spoke into the phone. "Misses Salvana I have a Makoto Tachibana here claiming to have an interview with you at three." There was another slight moments pause as the person on the other end replied. "Yes I'll send him right in." With that she hung up and turned back to Makoto. "She said she'll see you now. Go straight down that hallway and it's the last door on the left."

Nodding Makoto ran off in the direction she pointed. He could hear the lady going back to typing on her computer. Down the hallway he followed her instructions and came to the end of the hall and tuned to the door on the left. Taking deep breath he straightened his tie and knocked. "Come in." Came a gentle voice on the other side of the door.

The inside looked like a normal everyday office though the walls were covered in news paper clippings that had news titles about the pack. The woman at the desk was well into her twenties possibly early thirties. She had long blond hair that was tied up in a pony tail and wore the parks shirt along with tan khakis. Not what he was expecting to see. "Hello." Makoto said as he walked over to the desk and shook her hand.

"No need to feel so formal." She said. "Here sit down and I'll ask you a few questions." Turning around Makoto looked for a chair to sit in. There was already one pulled up to the desk so he assumed that was the one he was supposed to be sitting in. Once seated he looked up at her to see if he did what was right and seeing that she didn't stop him he got comfortable. "So we've gone over your resume and it is clear that you are the most suitable for the job but I'm still going to make sure that you are on the emotional wave length we need for our workers." Makoto nodded and she continued. "So first question, what made you decide to choose our park?"

"I chose this park because it was the one that my family has been bringing me to since I was young. More then anything it is because this place feels somewhat of a second home to me." Makoto answered in all honesty.

Misses Salvana smiled at him and jotted a few noted down in a note book. "Ok next question, a big part of this job would be including speaking to and helping the tourists, how do you feel helping these people?"

"Oh I'm always up for helping others." Makoto answered sitting up straighter in his chair.

"That's good, but how would you handle the situation if you were to be asked for help from someone who does not speak a language you know?"

"Well there is always a way to communicate with someone. If we can't use words then we can use actions or paper to draw out what it is that we mean. If that doesn't work then I'll just have to find someone who can help them or at least translate."

"It's good that you think ahead." She said as she wrote down a few more notes. Makoto sifted awkwardly in his chair as the silence continued to be drawn out. "One last question, have you ever had any other work experience that you believe would help you persuade us to choose you over the other options?"

"Well I've had a part time job at a swimming center helping my old coach teaching little kids to swim."

"I see." Once again she fell into a silence. She continued to write things down for another three minuets and all he could do was shift around on his chair in the uncomfortable silence. Right when he was about to say something she pulled out a stamp and slammed it upon the papers she was writing on. Makoto jumped and she smiled up at him. "Welcome to the staff of this water park."

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 **As promised i updated and i pla nto do so again, please continue to support me.**


	3. First day

She was short but made up for her height with her attitude. She was supposed to be showing him the ropes of his new job but the most she did was ignore him and try to go about her day. Still he continued to follow her and try to ask her questions about his job. After trying to get her to answer the same question for the fifth time she heaved a large sigh, rolled her eyes and put in her headphones.

"Listen newbi i'll tell you now, this job ain't all it's cracked up to be. The boss lady is crazy secretive and the pay ain't worth it. Only reason I'm still here is because I gotta pay through collage someway. Now I'm gonna show you your work area, introduce you to your senior worker and then we can ignore each other until I can finally leave this place." With that said she picked up her pace and Makoto had to job to keep up with her.

She led him straight through the park into the depths of the aquatic life sector. They moved right past the tanks and shops towards a large building hidden by the marine show pool. He had never been this deep into the park before. The building was secluded and gated by high fences. The only way in was though the car entrance which was guarded by a security guard in a police box or through the back gate which enters through the park. This gate wasn't guarded but instead had three locks on the gate. After she unlocked the gate she allowed him to pass through then tossed him the keys.

"Lock the door behind me. The senior officer will be inside the large building and with this I'm out."

"Wait, thanks for showing me the way. Since we are going to be working in the same park could I at least get your name?" Makoto asked.

She finally looked directly at him. "The names Jade but if your hoping to score I'll tell you now I have a girlfriend."

"No that's not what I meant by asking for your name!" Makoto said flustered as she laughed and shut the gate behind her. Shaking his head to calm the redness now in his cheeks Makoto locked the gate and headed to the small door on the side of the building. It was dark and damp inside most likely do to the large sea creatures that reside within. His footsteps echoed throughout the hall he entered. It seemed like something out of a horror movie. Every now and then he could hear the moan of a larger sea mammal. His mind instantly connecting it to a ghost. His heart was telling him to hightail it out of there but his brain tried to rationalize with him that it was only his imagination.

The hall was nearing its end finally and Makoto picked up his pace hoping that the senior office was just on the other side of the door. Once he reached it he didn't even bother to knock. He flung the door open and rushed into the other room. He slammed the door behind him then rested his forehead right against the door. He took a few deep breaths as he tried to calm his fast beating heart. Once calm he slowly turned around to see where he currently was. This hall was much larger then the one he just left. The ceiling stretched high and the room was wide enough to fit a whale. There were doors all the way down the hall and each seemed to be labeled with something. Looking at the one he just left there was nothing on it. Walking across the hall to the nearest door he read the label. "Shark tank. I shouldn't go in that one anytime soon then." Makoto chuckled to himself. He continued to walk down the hall reading the labels. Whale tank, fish tank penguin tank, dolphin tank, octopus tank. They seem to stretch on forever. He noticed how they were in the order of the aquarium.

"So this must be where they keep them." Makoto pondered. "Then that means" He ran to the door at the very end of the hall. There was no label on it but it was strange. The door was heavily locked and seemed to be made with a thick metal unlike the other doors which only held one lock and were made of a thin metal. Makoto reached out a hand and felt the cold metal.

"And what do you think your doing!" A voice boomed out from behind him causing him to jump away from the door. Spinning around he saw another tall man in a black suit came running down the hall at him.

"Ah I'm sorry! I'm the new recruit and I was just looking for the senior officer." Makoto said in a panic.

"Well he's not in there." The man said as he stopped in front on Makoto. "He's in the fish tank. Now go and never come near this door again, it's dangerous." With that he gave Makoto a push in the direction of the fish tank. Makoto stumbled a bit before regaining his stance and hurrying in the direction of the fish tank. He turned his head back a bit to see the other man. He held his stance at the door and watched Makoto make his retreat.

Once at the fish tank Makoto noticed that the lock was off this door. Reaching out he turned the knob and pulled the door open. Inside the room was nicely light so that he could see everything. There was a white marble staircase leading down to a tank that was surrounded by a tailed floor. There was an elder man standing next to a large sack. He'd reach into it and pull out what looked like some type of fish food. He'd then throw it in the tank and watch as the different fish all swam up to eat the food then disappear once it's gone only for him to then repeat the process.

Makoto walked down the steps and stood behind the elder man. The man turned his head and stared at him for a minute or so. "I'm guessing you're the new guy if that lug of meat outside didn't stop you from coming in."

"Um yes, I'm Makoto Tachibana are you the senior officer?"

"Yeah that's me, names Mackaline Toll but you can just call me old man Mack." He said as he slipped off a glove from his hand and stretched out his arm to shake Makotos' hand which he took. "Now for your first job we'll take it simpler. Take the spare gloves over there and help me finish this sack. I'm too old to be able to bend over to empty this thing now-a-days."

Makoto nodded and grabbed a pair of gloves that were hanging off the wall. The first pair were too small so he had to settle and wear the pink ones. Walking back over he grabbed a handful of fish food and looked at old man Mack. "Um is there a certain way to throw it in?"

"Just toss it over there and try to spread it out." Mack replied.

Makoto nodded and tossed the food into the water. The fish instantly swam up and skidded over the top of the water as they fought over the food. He couldn't help but smile at this. The fish continued to fight for the food until it was all gone. Once it was done they went back down into the tank again. Makoto instantly reached down and grabbed another handful. Walking a bit around the tank he once more tossed the food in and watched the fish come back up. "How many are there?" Makoto asked, his eyes never leaving the fish.

"Hmm I'd have to say maybe 300 hundred or so." Mack answered as he leaned against the wall.

"How do they all fit in there?"

"The tank is bigger then it looks. There is also a tunnel that leads from here to an open tank in each containment. The ones for the other mammals though are blocked off when they don't have a show. Just this one doesn't lock." Mack answered.

"Ah I see." Makoto hummed. "Then how are the others going to get fed?"

"I come to this tank twice a day. In the morning I feed them half a bag and then later in the evening I give them the other half." Mack said. "They know where the food is served so when they are hungry they will come."

"Do you also feed the other mammals?" Makoto asked.

"Yup I take care of every creature here."

"So you have a key to all the doors?" Makoto asked.

"All but one." Mack answered.

"The last door?"

"How'd you figure?" Mack asked as he looked up from the fish tank at Makoto. "Never mind that was a stupid question. That door is heavily locked and is the only one without a label."

"Is it because it's dangerous in that tank?" Makoto asked. "Is that why they don't use it?"

"I've worked here for thirty years kid and that door was only locked for the past ten years. Can't be dangerous either I know that those two meat heads and the boss lady go down there. Once I even saw them leave that room soaked. They didn't see me though, I was peaking from the room of the whale." Mack answered

"What do you think is in there?" Makoto asked as he threw more fish food into the tank.

Mack stayed quiet for a second as he pondered the question. "Can't say I know what it is but I do know that they don't want us to know so it's best that we don't poke our nose in it. You hear me kid."

"Yes I understand." Makoto Answered as he threw the last of the food in.

"Good now we have some more fish to feed." Mack said as he pushed off the wall. "Grab the sack and I'll take you to the next tank." Makoto nodded and did as he was told and grabbed the bag before following after Mack. He was led up the stairs and back into the hall. Mack then brought him outside and towards a large outdoor freezer that was beside the taller building. They building was about a quarter the size of the building housing the tanks. Inside were crates upon crates of fish of various sizes.

"We are next in charge of feeding the penguins now hold that bag open." Mack said as he walked to the crate holding some of the smaller fish. Makoto opened the bag and stood next to Mack as he filled the bag up with the fish. The smell wasn't too pleasant but he was able to deal with it since he spent a good portion of his life around them.

"Um how are we going to feed the other creatures like the whales and Sharks?" Makoto asked feeling timid about feeding the mammals that can easily eat him.

"Don't worry kid there are trained professionals who feed them. We just clean their tanks." Mack said sensing Makoto's nerves. Makoto sighed in relief then smiled.

"As much as I love them they are a bit scary up close." Makoto chuckled sadly.

"Don't worry the whale is a sweet heart and the sharks won't eat you unless they are hungry and we usually keep them well fed." Mack laughed darkly. Finishing up filling the bag Mack stood and closed the top of it so fish won't fall out. "Now all the penguins will be in the viewing room right now so we'll need to make a bit of a trek."

"Ok." Makoto said. The rest of the day was then spent with Makoto following Mack around the grounds feeding the animals and cleaning the dolphin tank. The cleaning alone took them three hours. He learned that the cleaning is done while the animals are doing a show and during the swimming events. This way they can drain the water from the sides and get in to wash the walls and floor and rinse off the plastic plants. He had never seen water drain so fast. The only thing draining faster was his energy. They didn't stop after just that though. There was still refilling the tank and then the second feeding of the fish. Mack then showed him the other tanks. They stayed on the viewing railing as Mack explained the tasks they need to do for each.

They were currently in the largest of the tanks which held the killer whale. It swam peacefully in its tank going around and round then switching and swimming the other way.

"So why were they looking for a new feeder?" Makoto asked looking up from the whale and at Mack. Mack sighed and looked up from the take and back at Makoto.

"I've been here a long and love the animals but all the work has messed up this old mans back. I need to train someone before I'm forced to retire." Mack looked away half way through the sentence. Makoto felt pity for the old man and knew that Mack had looked away since it had shown in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." Was all Makoto could say.

"Don't be kid. Just take car of them when I'm gone." Mack said. "All of them."

"I promise." Makoto said looking back down at the whales.

"Well that's all for today. Get a good nights rest since Tomorrow we help the shark tank trainer." Mack turned fully to Makoto and held out his hand. "Here's the keys for the locks. Be here same time tomorrow."

* * *

I hope everyone liked the update sorry it took so long, i'm still writing so there will be more.


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